25 July 2025
Marco Gandolfi
Excitement is building as Excelsior Entertainment, Mercurius Theatre, and Steven M. Levy for Charing Cross Theatre Productions Ltd unveil the first production images for the world premiere of "The Daughter of Time." This new play, based on Josephine Tey’s acclaimed crime novel, opens tonight at the Charing Cross Theatre and will run for a strictly limited engagement until September 13, 2025. A Gala Press Night is scheduled for July 25, coinciding with what would have been Tey’s 129th birthday.
Written by playwright M. Kilburg Reedy and directed by Jenny Eastop, "The Daughter of Time" transports audiences to London in 1950. Confined to a hospital bed, Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard (played by Rob Pomfret) takes on a centuries-old "cold case file": the alleged crimes of Richard III and the murder of the Princes in the Tower. What begins as a mere distraction quickly escalates into an urgent mission, as Grant navigates a colorful cast of characters—including scheming Shakespearean actors, opinionated nurses, a skeptical deputy, and a lovesick American historical researcher—all while unraveling both the historical mystery and perhaps, the mystery of his own heart.
The distinguished cast brings this vivid array of characters to life. Rachel Pickup co-stars as Marta Hallard, a glamorous stage actress with a deep affection for Grant. Noah Huntley plays Nigel Templeton, a polished Shakespearean actor, while Harrison Sharpe is Brent Carradine, an earnest young American researcher. The formidable ensemble also features Hafsa Abbasi and Janna Fox as Nurses Ingham and Darroll, respectively, and Sanya Adegbola as Sergeant Williams, Grant’s good-humored colleague.
"The Daughter of Time" reimagines Tey’s genre-defining novel, which was famously ranked as the No. 1 crime novel of all time by the British Crime Writers’ Association. The stage adaptation promises to blend mystery, wit, and romance with a powerful inquiry into the nature of historical narrative.
